Where The Mask Seen In Global Protests Is Made

A woman cleans Guy Fawkes masks, used by many demonstrators in protests around the world and in the recent wave of demonstrations in Brazil, at a factory assembly line in Sao Goncalo, near Rio de Janeiro, June 28.

Alexandria, Egypt: A masked protester poses with a tear gas canister in front of a burning vehicle during clashes between opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and his Islamist supporters on Dec. 21, 2012.

Rio de Janeiro: Demonstrators wearing Guy Fawkes masks and waving a Brazilian national flag march in downtown Rio on June 17 against higher public transportation fares and the use of public funds to finance international soccer tournaments.

During the Occupy protests two years ago, Slate had an excellent piece on the mask's origins and its use by protesters and the hacker group Anonymous. And The Guardian did a post on who owns the rights to the mask. Both are worth reading.